


Why won't you love me?

by Rukiyo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 08:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8320498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rukiyo/pseuds/Rukiyo
Summary: Everyone has a soul identifying mark. Unfortunately for Lance, Keith doesn't seem to be interested in finding out who his soul mate is.





	

**Author's Note:**

> You can all blame ruirui-yukii on tumblr again for this. Wrote this while on the bus so it may not be the most stellar piece. Though, I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless :).  
> Sorry, I seem to enjoy Lance angst. I hope they're not too OOC.

Soulmate marks. Everyone had one while people who didn't were rare. Though, it was also rare to find your destined one though, people liked to dream about finding their chosen nonetheless.

Lance's finger lightly traced the red flame on his left hip, hidden by his sweatpants. He wondered who his other half was. Would he ever meet them? What were they like? He smiled softly before whispering "goodnight" and lying down.

xxx

Lance hadn't meant to see it. He really hadn't.

When they had gone rescue Shiro, while on Keith's hover bike, Keith’s shirt had rode up and Lance had seen it. A blue flame.

Sure, some soul mate marks looked similar, but Lance knew. He knew the moment he laid his eyes upon it that it was his match.

Fortunately, with all the lion and Galra business, Lance was able to forget about it. He managed to let it slip from his mind as he dodged laser beams and soared the skies. However, when everything settled and quieted down was when his mind was able to wander. He eyed Keith's covered hip and shook his head. Nope. He wasn't sure how to bring it up to the other boy. They were sworn rivals, whether Keith believed it or not. They couldn’t just drop everything and fall in love… could they? Lance sighed. He'd figure something out.

"I'm not interested," Keith had told Allura when she inquired about everyone's marks. Lance froze and felt his hand shoot over to cover his hidden mark.

"What's wrong with looking for them?" Lance choked out.

Keith looked at him blankly, "it's a waste of time. Who's to tell me who I should love?"

Keith didn't want him. Lance mentally patted himself on the back for holding back himself from screaming at Keith and crying.

Lance would never say it out loud, but he was absolutely terrified of rejection. He believed he was better off assuming that Keith would tell him to buzz off than even attempt to love him.

That night Lance sat in the farthest corner of his bed and let out a sob. He wrapped his arms around himself as his body shook. He wasn't wanted. Keith didn't want him.

He was a waste of time.

"I'm so stupid. Hoping that there was someone who was born to love me."

He distanced himself from Keith whenever he could without seeming suspicious. Fortunately, their "rivalry" was a good rouse, but that also made Shiro put them together much more.

xxx

"We had a bonding moment! I cradled you in my arms," Keith gave him an indignant look while wiggling his fingers.

"Nope don't remember,” Lance looked away as Keith fumed in disbelief.

" _I'm right here_ " he wants to shout, " _why won't you love me?_ "

xxx

Whenever Keith smiles, Lance's whole world lit up. He would do dumb things just to see Keith laugh.

_Keith. Keith. Keith._

Whenever they got close, Lance was happy. He was so overjoyed at Keith's attention. He was happy to see his mark on Keith, especially when training, marking Keith as his. It meant nothing to the red paladin, but it meant the world to Lance. He wished he was happy with just that.

He wasn’t.

Xxx

"Why don't you believe in soulmates?" Lance asked Keith in a rare moment of peace. The two were alone next to each other in the lounge, tired from training. Keith frowned at him with a furrowed brow.

"What?"

"Soul mates. You told Allura you didn't believe in them."

Keith was silent as he stared at Lance. Lance felt tense, trying to keep his emotions from showing on his face.

"I don't."

"I know, but why? Don't you think it's cool to have someone in the world that was born just for you?" Lance could feel his brows furrowing and was clenching his teeth in order to stop himself from biting his lip.

Keith shifted, his arm pressed up against lance's as he slowly spoke, "I want to decide for myself." He stared directly into Lance's eyes, “I don’t want to love someone because of some mark. I’m not interested in being with someone because I’m supposed to”.

Lance felt his heart speed up at the intense look and swallowed the lump in his throat as he asked, "then... if your soul mate was to reveal themselves to you... what would you do?"

Keith shifted again, a bit closer to Lance. Gaze still firm, Lance could almost feel Keith’s breath on his cheek. "I'd tell them I'm not interested."

Lance felt his heart stop. His eyes widened and he could feel them burning, threatening to spill. He abruptly stood up, seeming to startle Keith. Lance let our a humourless chuckle, "of course you would."

He gave Keith a pained look, staring into confused eyes, before storming out of the room.

He locked himself in his room and refused to come out for the rest of the day, claiming he was feeling unwell.

Lance lay on his side, clutching a pillow to his chest. He felt unwanted. Keith didn't want him. He didn't need him. He cried himself to sleep, trying to ignore the painful throbbing in his chest.

xxx

He started to distance himself from Keith. Sitting as far away from him at dinner, partnering up with everyone but Keith during training. He only spoke to the other when it was absolutely necessary. Everyone noticed, Lance could tell, but he couldn't bring himself to even meet Keith's eyes most of the time.

            _We_ _’_ _re rivals_ , Lance told himself, _not lovers._

Hunk had given him worried looks and asked if something was wrong. Lance simply gave his best friend a forced smile and told him everything was fine. That he was only homesick. Hunk gave him a hug and promised him that they’ll be able to go home soon. Lance wished. Everyone seemed believe him.

Everyone except Keith.

"You're avoiding me."

The two of them were alone in the hallway outside lance's room. Had Keith been waiting to ambush him?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lance said, not meeting the other's eyes.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lance paused, he clenched his teeth, "nothing is wrong with me. What's wrong with you?" It came out more venomous than he had intended.

Keith was quiet for a moment before Lance felt a hand on his shoulder, making him jump slightly.

"Did... did I do something wrong?"

Lance winced at Keith's careful and hurt tone.

"No," Lance rasped, looking up, "I did"

Keith's head tilted slightly, silently asking Lance to explain himself.

Lance opened his mouth but no words came out. He's fingers trembled before he clenched them. Taking a deep breath, Lance gave Keith a sad smile, he felt his eyes sting and his vision start to blur.

"I can't expect you to like me," Lance muttered. He watched Keith's eyes widen and then furrow. The hand on his shoulder tightened slightly. Lance frowned.

“I get it okay?” Lance grumbled, exhaling a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Lance realized that he was starting to get angry, “I get why you don’t want me. I’m useless, I talk too much, I have a crazy obsession with hygiene. You don’t want to be stuck with someone like for life. Especially since you’re forced to.”

"I don't under-" Keith stared but stopped when Lance shook his head.

Lance swallowed the lump in his throat and hesitantly reached for his belt buckle. Keith flushed and made a confused noise as Lance undid the loop and shoved his pants low enough for _it_ to show. His mark. He heard Keith's breathing stop and Lance squeezed his eyes shut. Didn't want to see the disdain and disgust in his eyes. Didn't want to be rejected. He jumped in surprise when he felt fingers brush over his hipbone, igniting a fire underneath his skin. His eyes shot open to stare at Keith, whose eyes were fixated on Lance's hip, fingers gently stroking the flame.

"You're..." Keith started, and was that... amazement in his voice? Lance watched in confusion as a grin came upon Keith's face. "You're... mine?"

Lance couldn't seem to form words. Keith didn't seem to be repulsed. Was he just being nice? He didn't look like it though. Lance had never seen him with eyes so bright. Lance felt his jaw go slack as Keith's eyes shot up to look at Lance's before he roughly grabbed Lance by the face and slammed their faces together, nose and teeth colliding.

Cursing, they both pulled apart.

"Dude! What the fuck!?" Lance said, totally lost and forgetting his moment for grief for rubbing his face trying to soothe the pain there instead. Keith winced as he rubbed his own nose before his eyes shot back to Lance.

"I thought you hated me"

Lance frowned, "I could never"

"The last time we spoke, you practically ran out of the room."

"You said you didn't want me"

"I said that because I wanted to be with _you_!"

Lance paused. "What?" He whispered.

Keith groaned in frustration, "I thought you were so invested in soul mates that you wouldn't even want to give me a chance. That, or you were scared that my ‘soul mate’ was going to come and take me away from you. We were, quoting Pidge here, 'pining like an abandoned puppy'!"

"But you don't believe -"

"I'd rather be able to have some control over my life," Keith scoffed, "I was already attracted to you. I don’t understand how people who are in love could just abandon the other because their so called ‘soul mate’ decided to appear."

"We're soulmates," Lance states bluntly, even after knowing all this time, it feels foreign to state it aloud.

"I know now," Keith said grinning, "you're mine."

Lance couldn't seem to be able to form any words. He stood there and stared at Keith dumbly.

"I... I spent this entire time pining for you... and you were doing the same..?" Keith frowned and nodded. "You... but you don't believe-"

"Don't need to. I was attracted to you before I even knew you had my mark."

Keith seemed to pause. "Is that why you've been avoiding me? Because you think I didn't want you?"

"Every time I asked about your soul mate you always claimed you didn’t want them! That basically implied that you didn't want me!"

"I didn't want this supposed soul mate because I wanted you!" Keith growled. Lance felt his heart squeeze with happiness and confusion. "But now that you're my soul mate, no one can take you from me!"

Lance raised an eyebrow while letting out a shaky laugh, "wow possessive much?"

Keith scoffed before wrapping his arms around Lance, "mine".

"Fucking finally!" Lance heard Pidge shout down the hall. Lance flushed.

"LANGUAGE!" Shiro chastised. It was followed by a sigh, presumably Hunk.

Lance shook his head with a laugh before embracing Keith back feeling like the happiest man alive.

 


End file.
